Chapter 24 Leave with Nothing
Anne was almost amused by this shameless mother and son.
One dared to say it, and the other dared to believe it. With such obvious holes in the old lady's story, Holden only heard the word "framing" and completely dismissed the reasons Anne had given.
Now he was even threatening to send her to a sanatorium!
"You want to send me to a sanatorium and wait for me to be tortured to death?"
Anne sneered, "Holden, are you sure about that?"
Holden gritted his teeth, "You're the one who doesn't know when to stop. You could have been a proper noble lady, but instead you stir up trouble every day, making the household miserable. How can I tolerate your presence!"
"I've told you so many times—Candy marrying me won't affect your status. The Titan family won't treat you badly. I just don't love you, and you're jealous to this extent. If I'd known you'd be like this, I should have killed you on our wedding day!"
Anne suddenly fell silent. After a long pause, she laughed softly.
Sunlight slanted through the doorway and fell on Anne, illuminating her delicate features. "You've finally said it. Good."
The wedding three years ago had been their only pleasant memory, but now even that was shattered. Every part of their past had been completely crushed, and Anne no longer needed to save face.
"Since you truly want to send me to the sanatorium, then do it quickly."
She stood up, smoothing the wrinkles on her dress. "If you wait too long, I can't guarantee you'll still be able to."
Holden glared at her coldly, "You know what kind of place the sanatorium is, don't you?"
Anne nodded, "Of course I know."
That place was the darkness behind nobility, a prison for women, and a filthy den of vice. All the women locked up there were abandoned noble daughters who would serve nobles with special tastes, with no regard for life or death.
Dying there would be a relief.
Not just Trion, but even the old lady looked at her like she was insane.
What woman would willingly go to such a place!
And if she went there, they'd still have to wait for her to die before getting the dowry.
The Titan family didn't have that much time to wait!
The Titan Old Lady bit her lip. She did want Anne to suffer in the sanatorium, but compared to momentary psychological satisfaction, the Titan family's interests weighed more heavily. So she quickly came downstairs, "Wait!"
Holden was confused. This was clearly the best way to handle things—why was his mother stopping him? "What is it, Mother?"
The Titan Old Lady looked at Holden with frustration, reminding herself this was her son and she couldn't lose her temper with him. Only then did her expression soften. "Holden, you and Anne were husband and wife. If you didn't truly love each other back then, why would you have married?"
"But Mother, she..."
"I know what you want to say." She waved her hand, cutting off Holden's explanation. "As a fellow woman, even though Anne has made mistakes, I don't want her to suffer in such a place. Dignity shouldn't be trampled on so easily, even for a woman."
"She hasn't committed any major crime yet. Why push her to such extremes? After all, we wronged Anne first. Why not both take a step back and find a peaceful solution? That way, even if His Majesty the King asks about it, the Titan family won't be accused of humiliating a hero's descendant."
Anne was surprised to hear this from the Titan Old Lady. Even Elisa, who had just walked over, looked shocked that these words came from her.
She naturally didn't believe this old woman truly had her interests at heart. The words just sounded nice—on the surface seeming to speak for her, but actually placing all the blame squarely on her shoulders.
This stance made it clear they were determined to take something from her.
But what did she have that the Titan Old Lady coveted?
Anne's lips curved slightly. Whether it was the assassination or this reconciliation attempt, weren't they all focused on the wealth behind her?
Sure enough, Holden frowned and asked, "Mother makes sense, but what's the right approach?"
The Titan Old Lady had been waiting for his question, so she pretended to think for a moment before slowly speaking, "Anne does these things for nothing more than to stop your marriage to Candy, throw dirt on your family, and use financial problems to completely drag you down. So she just needs to help you with the wedding, fill the financial hole, and restore the family to normal. Wouldn't such a great service be enough to offset her mistakes?"
"But Mother," Holden hesitated, "I don't want to keep her by my side, and I don't want such a scheming woman staying here. What if there's a next time?"
The Titan Old Lady was prepared and nodded in agreement. "That is indeed a problem. So after everything is handled, send her back to the Virlet family's territory. Let her stay at her own home and never set foot in the Titan family again. How about that?"
Holden's furrowed brow immediately relaxed. "That works, but she also has to stop the messengers and have them withdraw the royal decree, and quickly go explain and apologize to His Majesty the King. She can never interfere with me and Candy again!"
He had been worried about his marriage to Candy. Now his mother's plan both protected him and Candy while getting financial support for the Titan family, without him and Candy having to worry about it. Although they were still using Anne's dowry, this time was different—Anne deserved this for her crimes, and she should make amends.
As for Anne herself, though the Virlet family behind her couldn't support her, Duke Skoda's past glory meant those connections would still be available to Anne. If he really sent Anne to the sanatorium, there would be plenty of retaliation. Thinking of this, he both appreciated his mother's careful planning for him and felt that Anne's earlier willingness to go to the sanatorium was actually meant to strike another blow against him and the Titan family.
He kept a straight face, looking at Anne with contempt, his expression full of condescension and pride at exposing her scheme. "Well? You have nothing to say now, do you?"
Anne nodded, "Indeed, I have nothing to say."
Before the mother and son could celebrate, Anne sneered coldly, "This is the first time I've seen someone scheme for another person's wealth while acting like they're doing them a favor. How disgusting!"